#MeToo stories hit Bollywood hard

Women in Bollywood who had remained silent for years are finally finding the courage to name their tormentors

After Hollywood, Bollywood is coming out with #MeToo stories of sexual harassment.

Actor Tanushree Dutta spoke out against her senior colleague Nana Patekar, idolised by millions of fans. She filed a police complaint for sexually assault on the sets of the film ‘Horn Ok Pleassss’ in 2008. Nana has refused to comment on the charge, citing legal advice.

Tanushree has not only got immense support from senior journalist Janice Sequeira, who gave a detailed eyewitness account of the incident, but also from big names in the film industry: Priyanka Chopra, Soha Ali Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Sonam Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar.

Tanushree certainly helped other women in the entertainment industry to speak out about sexual offence and misconduct over the years.

Within a week, names like actor Rajat Kapoor, director Vikas Bahl, producer Gaurang Doshi and veteran actor Alok Nath popped up.

Rajat Kapoor was accused of inappropriate behaviour by two journalists. One of them took to Twitter to share details of a telephonic interview, in which he asked if she was ‘as sexy as she sounds’ and sought her ‘vital stats’. However, Rajat later posted an apology.

‘Queen’ producer Vikas Bahl came into public attention when Kangana accused him of burying his face in her neck, holding her tight and breathing in the smell of her hair during the promotion of the film and its parties.

Allegations against him don’t just stop here, Vikas has also been accused of sexual misconduct by an ex-employee of ‘Phantom Films’ and Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Queen’ co-star, Nayani Dixit.

While the entire industry is shaken by these reports, the most recent allegation came from producer Vinta Nanda, who accused ‘the most sanskari’ actor Alok Nath of raping her. In a long Facebook post, she described him as an ‘alcoholic, shameless and obnoxious’ man. The details are shocking.

‘Stree’ actor Flora Saini shared her horrific ordeal of sexual harassment and physical assault by producer Gaurang Doshi in 2007. In a Facebook post, in which she shared a picture of her bruised face, she said Gaurang, then her boyfriend, had beaten her up and caused a ‘fractured jaw and a scarred soul for life’. Gaurang has not responded to the charge.

Social media has been a huge support for women who have shown the courage to come out.

Mute Akshay

Social media has been supportive of women disclosing their experiences. The fight is taking on many unexpected dimensions. Actor Akshay Kumar filed an FIR after a video featuring him went viral. He says his words were altered to make it look like he has commented on the Tanushree and Nana case. He claims he has not commented on it.